The Twelve Kingdoms Collection
by EterNite
Summary: As the series cut short, a kirin is abandoned with no memory, and a supposedly deceased ruler leaves his kingdom in ruin. Can one life-changing event save this lonely kingdom? Another old story, but my favourite!
1. The Suffering Kingdom in the North 1

The third and final story that I am posting, this one's all the way from 2005

The Suffering Kingdom in the North, the Melodies of a Lost Kirin's Sorrow

Chapter One

It was the first day of winter. The child who had once been called Kouri sat in a small residential home in Horai. The child who used to laugh and smile all the time, who was more concerned with the wellbeing of other people than himself, had grown into a quiet and reserved teenager. The boy, now known as Kaname, picked up his paints and brushed them against the surface of the canvas.

Kaname loved painting. It gave him a sense of belonging. Every time he painted, it was almost like he could remember. He never knew just what he would paint, but when he painted, he had a feeling that it was the memories locked up inside him that were being displayed on the canvas. Stroke by stroke, the image started to take shape. He lifted his brush from the canvas and set it down in the bowl filled with water. It was only then when he looked at what he had painted.

It was a splendid white creature that vaguely resembled the western mythical creature, the unicorn, except for its forked horn. The creatures purple eyes were staring right at Kaname, and he somehow felt like he had seen those eyes before. They were a beautiful color, like a flower in spring.

"Kaname?" a voice said from behind him. He whirled around to see his younger brother leaning against the doorway. "Mom told me to get you. Dinner's ready." Kaname nodded.

"I'll be down in a minute." He said, picking up his canvas and setting it in the corner with all of the others. With one last glance at it, he closed the door behind him.

"Kaname, you've been painting again, haven't you? I keep telling you that I don't like it when you paint those strange things. Why do you keep doing it? You're such a disobedient child. Why do you keep doing this to me, Kaname!" Kaname stared.

"I'm sorry, mother." He said. His mother stood up and walked over.

"If you're so sorry, why don't you bow down and apologize?" She said angrily. Kaname looked at her, shocked.

"But, mother!" He exclaimed.

"No buts! Do it now!" Kaname kneeled down.

"What are you waiting for, do it now!" she said. Kaname whimpered. Sweat dropped down his cheeks as he tried to bow down.

"I'm trying, but my arms won't bend!" She walked over to where Kaname was and put her hand on his head. She shoved his head down to the floor, and Kaname screamed in pain. A golden light emanated from his forehead, and everything went black.

CHAPTER ONE, END

PREVIEW

The Ouki was faint, but present. Taiki felt it, but he was helpless. The young kirin could feel the Ouki, but it wasn't in Horai. There was no way for him to reach it. The Twelve Kingdoms Fanfiction chapter two, The Suffering Kingdom in the North, the Melodies of a Lost Kirin's Sorrow, chapter two.

COMING SOON

This is my starter chapter, it's smaller than my normal chapters, but it seemed like an appropriate place to end.


	2. The Suffering Kingdom in the North 2

The Suffering Kingdom in the North, the Melodies of a Lost Kirin's Sorrow

Chapter Two

"Hey, are you awake?" Red eyes opened as the guard shook the white haired man awake. The king of Tai, called Lord Gyousou, had been taken prisoner and starved by a few of the court ministers who had wanted to stay in control of the Tai Kingdom. As a Sennin, he couldn't die, but ten years without food was hard, even for a hardened former general like Gyousou.

"What do you want? I haven't been visited ever since you came to tell me about the birth of Kouki. What reason could you have to visit me now? Did you miss me or something?" Gyousou asked. The man stared at him for a second before smirking.

"I see that you can still be rude and sarcastic when you want to." He said. Gyousou glared at him intensely.

"What do you want?" He asked again. The man backed up nervously and looked away nervously. Gyousou smirked.

'I guess I can still intimidate the mere guards with my glare' he thought to himself. 'I wonder if Kouri's okay.' The guard kicked him sharply.

"What are you smiling at?" He yelled. "I came to tell you about what's happening in Kei. It seems that the current queen is very well liked by her people, and her kirin is very loyal to her. I wonder where your kirin is. He's not very loyal if he won't even try to rescue his king now, is he?" Gyousou glared at the man, and then for the first time in ten years, he could feel Taiki's presence.

'Don't come, Kouri, save yourself.' He thought sadly.

MEANWHILE, IN KEI:

Youko surveyed her ministers as they kneeled in their spots before the throne. Each one of them was loyal to her, and she could trust every one of them. Next to her throne, the Kei Taiho, Keiki, stood stoically, his face blank. Her eyes once again strayed towards the Kei Taiho, who nodded to her and spoke up.

"I believe it is about time for the morning conference to end now. Her Majesty and I will be in the office if we are needed." Youko stood up and walked out, with Keiki following her.

"Why is today such a boring day?" she asked. "There's not much to do now that we've taken care of the problems in most of the provinces. I guess I'd better start working on how I'll make this kingdom better." She said. Keiki came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine." Youko leaned back into the arms of her husband, and sighed softly.

"I know, it's just hard to get used to." She said. "I've been working so hard to get the kingdom in shape, and now that the kingdom is peaceful, it feels so slow around here."

"I know how you feel. I feel quite similarly." He said softly. "I know."

Later that night, Keiki was sitting at his desk, going through the paperwork that would then go to Youko, separating it into a pile for him to sign and a pile for Youko. A golden light appeared on his forehead, and he passed out.

IN HORAI:

"_Kei Taiho!" Taiki ran up to the man. He smiled and greeted the young Kirin. Taiki smiled at him._

"_Your Majesty!" Taiki ran up to Gyousou and bowed before him. "Can I go see Lady Risai?"_

"_Lady Risai!" Taiki ran up to the general and smiled. "Lord Gyousou, I mean His Majesty, gave me permission to spend the day with you!"_

"_En Taiho!" "Sanshi!" "Youka!" One by one, the faces of those he cared about appeared before Kaname, and then he remembered._

Taiki squinted as he opened his eyes. The image in front of him came into focus as he saw his mother staring at him, horrified, while his father held her and his brother looked disgusted.

"What happened?" He asked.

" You… You monster!" Taiki stepped back in surprise and looked on in horror.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"Get out of my house!" His mother screamed as she picked up a mirror and threw it at him.

"Gouran!" He called desperately. The large toutetsu appeared in front of Taiki and broke the mirror effortlessly. A large shard landed near Taiki. He picked it up and looked into it. His hair had grown long down his back, and had turned into the pitch black that it had been on Mount Hou and in Tai.

"Leave!" she screamed. "You're not my child!" Taiki looked sadly at her and turned around. As he made to leave, an overwhelming feeling came over him.

'The Ouki! I can feel it!" He ran out the door and transformed, running at top speed until he reached a large open field.

"I need a Shoku, but how do I make one?" Keiki had told him once, he had said to concentrate on opening a portal and focus the energy into his horn. Taiki attempted to call forth a Shoku, but it wasn't working. Many hours passed as he stood in the field, but nothing worked. The hours passed, and night turned into day, until Taiki collapsed, after a straight thirteen hours of trying.

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry." He whispered before descending into the darkness of sleep.

CHAPTER TWO, END.

PREVIEW

The Kei and En Taihos were always close to Taiki. As Taiki despairs, the kirin of all the other kingdoms are plunged into a deep sleep. Taiki is found by Sugimoto, who recognizes what he is. While Keiki continues to sleep, Taiki and Sugimoto speak of the hardships that Taiki has been experiencing. Twelve Kingdoms Collection chapter one, The Suffering Kingdom in the North, the Melodies of a Lost Kirin's Sorrow, chapter one.


	3. The Suffering Kingdom in the North 3

**Wow I haven't updated this in a while… enjoy?**

**The Suffering Kingdom in the North, the Melodies of a Lost Kirin's Sorrow, chapter three.**

Sugimoto walked down the empty road, a plastic bag in hand. Her mother had gone into labor two days ago, and her new brother had been born, a healthy, normal boy. Her mother was required to remain in the hospital for another week, and she had already become sick of the revolting hospital food. As a result, Sugimoto had been sent to the nearest convenience store to buy instant meals–at 2 in the morning.

A quiet roar could be heard in the distance, and Sugimoto could see the light of a train off in the distance. As the train got closer, its light revealed the figure of a grown man collapsed on the grass.

Sugimoto rushed over, turning the figure on his back. The man's long hair fell from his face to reveal the image of a pale man with long eyelashes and slightly plump lips. His face was different, but somehow, perhaps because of all the taika that she had met, Sugimoto knew the man was Takasato.

Sugimoto shook him, but he refused to wake. Wincing at the thought of her mother's fury, she dropped her package and pulled Taiki's limp body onto her back. Slowly she made her way back to her apartment, placing Taiki on her small bed within. She mentally congratulated herself– her parents were still at the hospital, so she could hide Taiki at her house until he regained his strength.

Two days later, Taiki woke from his slumber, only to find himself in a strange room. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He had failed to return to his true home.

"Oh, you're awake." Sugimoto let herself in, a cup of steaming tea in hand. Glancing at her tea, and back at him, she sighed and offered him her cup. "You look like you need it more than I do."

"Why did you save me?" Taiki sipped the tea, wincing as the hot liquid scalded his tongue.

"I saw how your hair grew a couple feet just overnight– how your face has changed, giving you the appearance of the celestial being I believe you to be. Tell me now, are you a kirin like I think you are?" The teacup fell from his hand, shattering on the floor and covering Taiki's lap with hot liquid.

"I can't go back." Sugimoto stared.

"Why not?"

Taiki's hands shook. "I can't make a shoku anymore."

M+M this is a scene break M+M

"I had gone out to find Lord Gyousou. I could feel him, but he was very distant from me, making it necessary for me to put all my efforts into concentrating on him. A few miles away from the palace, a group of my government officials came up behind me. Foolishly, I had sent Sanshi and my shirei to scout ahead of me. I was defenseless, and when they attacked, they used toki weapons. I was able to dodge the killing blow, but my horn was cut off in the process. In the pain, I suppose I must have summoned a shoku. When I woke up, I was back in Japan, with no memory of my time in the Twelve Kingdoms."

"So.. Now you want to get back, right?"

"Yes. I can feel Lord Gyousou again. I have to save him."

"So you need a shoku… If only I had a way to contact Youko and Keiki."

_"Taiki, If I may intercede, I believe I know why you cannot summon your shoku." _ Sanshi, an odd hybrid of human, lizard, horse, and fish who claimed the title of Taiki's nyokai, took her place at Taiki's side, seemingly rising out of the floor.

"Sanshi!"

_"You may have rewakened, but your power still lies dormant, and will continue to do so. Until your point of return to the twelve kingdoms, you will be unable to summon shokus, or use your powers for anything except transforming and summoning your shirei."_

"What??" the pair yelled in unison.

_"Taiki, please. I may have much more limited powers, but they are not bound in this world, and I can feel a presence of great power in this world– one from the twelve kingdoms. I believe this person may have the power to send you back."_

"Where is this power?"

_"I am afraid I cannot tell. I believe it's fairly close to this country, but I cannot be certain."_

"Well" Sugimoto started "I suppose we'll just have to find this mysterious person then."


End file.
